A decade’s long search led to an idyllic Madison County farm, complete with sugar maple grove, horseshoe-bend creek, rolling hills and ravines… Nervous hands wrote a check then spent several years building a lifelong dream – first, a winding country lane; then, a barn and four-rail fence; next, a handsome red roan, a hay field and half-pint sized blackberry shoots; and, finally, a home for eight. Without imagining it then, today, we host friends and families on slow summer days and celebratory starry nights.

Greg and Jennifer looked for over a decade for a farm property to raise their four children - Sam, Nora, Jesse and Olivia - before they accidentally found this incredible piece of land in Madison County in late 2011. After quickly falling in love with the idea of living out all seasons of life with their family in this place, unfortunately, another buyer beat them to it! Unable to stop feeling like this was where they were meant to be, they reached out to the original buyer one year later and were able to convince them to resell the property, resulting in Greg and Jennifer’s purchase in late 2012.

Initially just acreage on a corn and soybeans rotation with no improvements, Wild Blackberry Farms was slowly developed to include fencing and horses, trellised blackberry canes, a barn and a home. Greg was the general contractor, first, for the barn and, several years later, the home. The whole family actually lived in the barn for 18 months while their home was planned and constructed as it was easier (and more cost-effective) to run the construction day-to-day while living on the property. This was quite an adventure that left each family member with many memories that will never be forgotten. The family was also blessed to share their home with Jennifer’s parents, Al and Marie, who had been commuting weekly from Peru, Indiana to stay with their grandkids several days each week since the first was born.